Topic: ROV's

[sonar2000]

Is any one using an ROV?
 If so can you give a brief overview of your unit and your thoughts. Especially if you are running sonar on the ROV. Try to be a little detailed also..
Chuck

[Roddy]

Chuck; Ref ROV, I have Three {3} one Haoebuilt, two BIG BIG BUCKs. With all the bells.

Roddy

[sonar2000]

Roddy, thanks for the phone call today.  all of what we disscussed are important to searches for missing persons.
Tools are not a single item in an inventory for service delivery. all of the items we discussed are and have their place in a search. Some work better than others for a specific location.
And with any tool each has the strong point and each have weakness. It up to the search manager to understand the tools and when to use or call for additional assistance.
Good work with your towfish and please post pictures when done...
I am loking forward to the unit..
Chuck

[bigkahuna]

Sorry to resurrect an old thread but I just wanted to note that our sister company "Undersea Services LLC" in Morehead City, NC has a VideoRay micro ROV and is available for SAR OPS.  Website is http://www.underseaservices.com and interested parties can either contact them via the website or contact me here.

[Rüdiger]

Hi

For cost reasons, we remain an ROV for most of us a dream , but it is apparently possible to build such a ROV itself . http://home.comcast.net/~homebuiltrovs/mule.html

mvh
Rüdiger

[RGecy]

Rudiger,

I posted the one my son and I built about 10 years ago.  Can't believe its been that long.  He's all grown up and in the AirForce now.

http://forums.sideimagingsoft.com/index.php?topic=62.msg17233#msg17233



Robert

[sonar2000]

BigK.  What is your charge for usage?
Chuck

[Roddy]

Robert; built one just like yours for my grandsons (3). Had to,they were after one of my Velociraptors ROV. $$$$

[bigkahuna]

@Chuck - I've emailed you our rates.

[sonar2000]

BigK..thanks, got the email...
Chuck

[flo]

Hello SAR-community,

after some time of only reading in this great forum here's my first posting :-)

We here use a ROV - we even started for some reason in the beginning with search and recovery operations without any sidescan support, but this method turned out to be very inefficient (grid search on the ground, the old school way we did before with PSD's). Thats why we now are happy having purchased a brand new Humminbird 1198c SI device and start to train our team on the usage of a SI sonar.

The ROV we use is a Seabotix LBV150 with USBL Tracking from Tritech - in my opinion a great but expensive solution that will help us in the future to quickly check sonar targets without putting a diver in the water.

Looking forward for interesting discussions within this forum.

Florian

[sonar2000]

Flo, in a nutshell, SAR for underwater recovery is at best a function of training and experience.
Sonar and ROV are items that require a degree of basic introduction and then lots of time just using them in a normal world.
Sonar by itsself is just one of many tools for SAR. and as sonar goes each type has a place to usage and a timwe to remain in the tool box and call for the next level if you dont have several types..

I posted this in another thread but will include here for you...
Sonar for use in search and recovery is very much dependent on the situation and environment.
In SAR there is not a one unit that fits all needs. Every sonar type has it good points and its not so good points. The points determine the usefulness of the unit in play at the particular time.
It is also the operator who determines the usefulness of any given unit. The devices will power up right out of the box but setting up and using with knowledge only comes with experience thru usage.
SAR is demanding on the presence or absence of a target which represents the item of interest.
To run a sonar scan and say there is no target there and then to have the target float thereafter does not do anything for the family or requester of the scan search.
A sonar user has to come away from a mission knowing that they have used appropriate devices that will display the target they are looking for.....and to locate the target or say with a very high degree of experience that the target is not in the area.
Search and sonar are completely different from mapping or fishing.
Budgets for SAR teams often do not allow for high end units and as I said every unit has good and bad points so having a high end does make it the best.
It is the operator who knows what the unit is capable of and once reaching the limits knows when to call for the more capable device and not overlook the important object.
HB makes a good device, Lowrance makes a good device, Garmin makes a good device, MST, JW Fisher, Kongsberg and other highend devices make good devices, sector scan has its capabilities,  but each has a place for which it is effective.
Again for SAR we are there to find that which is missing regardless of who the device/user is..or to be able to say with 99% accuracy the target is not within the search area.
So we, the SAR user, must know our units distinct capabilities and also when to call for addition help.
For teams with sonar units get to know your neighbors and what they have. Work on mutual aid agreements

Chuck

[SARMN]

I'm new here and I saw this old thread, so I thought I would respond.  I use the VideoRay (www.videoray.com) Pro 4 with a 900 Blueview sonar and have done several body recoveries with this unit both in open water and through the ice.  I also use a Marine Sonic side scan sonar for wide area searching in open water and a Tritech Hammerhead sector scan for through the ice.  The VideoRay has been a great tool for body recoveries.

Tom